Priorities
by Violintide
Summary: In which Hikaru thinks Akira has his priorities a bit confused. Akira x Hikaru


---  
  
Priorities  
  
[an akira x hikaru story : Hikaru no Go]  
  
by Jennifer  
  
peropero at inorbit dot com  
  
http://www.hatsuyume.net  
  
---  
  
Akira Touya hated making decisions this early in the morning. So far, he had managed to ponder his limited options and the likely repercussions of each action for over fifteen minutes, but his body was not-so-subtly encouraging him to hurry up, the painful prickling sensation in his left arm demanding immediate attention. With a quiet sigh he gave in, slowly sliding it out from below the heavy weight that had been until now blissfully unaware of the discomfort it was causing.  
  
"Ah.. Whaerydin.. wascomfrtbl.."  
  
The sleeping form beside him shifted, turning over until the light pressure was now on Akira's chest, soft hairs tickling his bare skin. An arm curled around his torso, pulling him more closely into a loose hug. As gentle snores resumed once more, Akira relaxed knowing that he hadn't disturbed the peaceful atmosphere.  
  
Akira closed his eyes, content to enjoy the relative silence, a rare occurrence that he intended to take full advantage of while it lasted. In high school, living with his parents, silence had been the norm rather than the exception, but since moving into his own apartment, he had found just the opposite to be true. In his parents' home, particularly around his father, it was almost... unnatural to be anything other than dignified and respectful. A calm and quiet intensity seemed to linger around the former Meijin, even when he was surrounded by his students and admirers.  
  
As his fingers absently combed through the bleached streaks of hair that were the trademark of his long-time rival, his lips curved into a tiny grin. When he had chosen this particular apartment, thick walls had been an important consideration - in the frequent games of Go that he played with Shindou, things more often than not ended in a loud shouting match over the other's tactics and mistakes, each boy defending his own moves and getting more vocal in his attack on the other until one of them stormed away. Akira had anticipated that upon having a place to set up a goban without fear of disturbing family members or other Go salon customers with their fighting, perhaps he and Shindou or the occasional other pro could take advantage of his apartment's privacy.  
  
Of course, waking up with his rival curled around him, half-dressed, in his own bed, wasn't exactly what Akira had been expecting a year ago when he had considered the benefits of privacy and thick walls. This was a more recent development, one that neither boy had been expecting. Akira, at least, having gotten over the initial shock of both his first real relationship as well as the fact that it was with another man, couldn't say he was entirely surprised at how things had progressed between them.  
  
Akira's devotion to Go had been clear from the moment he could understand the basics of the game, and from that point on it effectively became his life. He hadn't expected to enter a relationship of any sort, let alone something like this. Most of his prolonged interactions with women were with the occasional female clerk at Go salons (all usually much older than himself) and the giggly girls in his classes at Keio, neither of whom was usually granted more of his attention than a quick smile and a short exchange of greetings. On most of the occasions when he was drawn into small talk, Akira was often found staring off into the distance, mentally reviewing kifu from games played with his father or the pros who often visited his house, something that drove his mother crazy until she became acclimated to having two Go obsessees in the family. All things considered, Akira's chances at a relationship with a girl were severely hampered by these things, along with the demanding schedule that came with being both a professional player as well as an honors student at a top private school.  
  
Akira had accepted the fact that he was probably destined to be disliked by those his own age by mid-elementary school, and so he channeled his efforts into being a serious player capable of interacting with adults, in order to better get along with professional players who would see him not as a strange loner, but as an equal. His father began allowing him to spend time after school at the Go salon he owned, where he quickly became a favorite of the crowd of mostly old men who passed their days over a goban, smoking and idly gossiping while they played. He soon spent most of his time there playing instructional Go, after realizing that most of the players there were nowhere near his own level. The easy camaraderie of the other customers surrounded him, giving him a place to belong until his father deemed him ready to take the pro examination.  
  
The Go salon became a fixture of Akira's life as each day he looked forward to seeing Ichikawa-san and the group of regulars, planning out new ways to challenge the skills of his pupils there and taking some pride in the improvements he saw in their games. This everyday pattern continued until the day he accepted a challenge from one of the only boys his own age he had ever seen in the salon. He remembered wondering how Shindou had ever gotten away with his peculiarly bleached hair at school, although he didn't know that much about public schools and supposed that perhaps their rules were less strict than Keio's.  
  
Until that day, Akira was secure in his knowledge that he was probably the best Go player of his age in Japan, and that someday he could be as good as his father and perhaps help Japan regain some of its former glory against the powerhouses of Korea and China. Meeting Hikaru Shindou, who didn't even know the proper way to hold a stone but still played at a level so far above his own that he could actually attempt to determine Akira's skills by playing the equivalent of a tutoring game... Though Akira didn't realize it for a very long time, Shindou was exactly what he had needed.  
  
Many considered Akira to be something of a prodigy, but Shindou was something else entirely. As Akira admitted his defeat in that first game, Shindou didn't even seem to realize what he had just done, leaving his opponent alone to stare at the board in shock as he bounced out of the salon. As the news of their star player's defeat traveled to the other customers, Ichikawa-san had announced in amazement that Shindou had said that he had never even played before. Akira didn't believe it was possible - that boy had known exactly what to do, all the necessary moves and calculations to win... a true prodigy would have the ability to strategize and move without thought, but even a genius needed some training in the rules before he could do the sort of things that Shindou had done. There was something more to the boy, and Akira had been determined to find out what it was and if he could use it to make himself a stronger player.  
  
Ogata-san later mentioned to Akira that as he played Shindou and watched him go from first a sought-after opponent, then a hated enemy because of his utter lack of appreciation for the hard work that Go professionals put into their life, then to a fellow pro who left Akira attempting to be indifferent but secretly filled with hope for a chance at a true rival, and finally to a close friend who understood better than anyone else what it was like to be a teenager who was already started on their life's work and how hard it was to be mature and calm all the time... Ogata-san felt that Shindou was the push that Akira had needed to overcome the complacency that had already overtaken him by the time he was ten. Shindou, he said, fueled a quest in Akira to surpass him by any means possible, the sort of spirit that a professional needed to keep playing and improving.  
  
Looking back, Akira could agree with the older pro. Even now, he and Shindou were still constantly at odds, playing each other as often as possible and taking the skills gained during their matches to professional competitions where they were well-known as up and coming players in the Go world. Whenever Akira was studying kifu or watching the games of other pros, he often thought of how Shindou would have responded to certain moves, creating his own mental strategies for imaginary games that the two boys might recreate later on, assuming they were still on speaking terms by that point. Of course, their shouting battles were always short lived, and after a few hours or days of sulking alone, they would inevitably return to the same goban, back to being the best of friends and going out for ramen when Hikaru won, okonomiyaki when Akira did (over the years, the foods had settled into a fairly even distribution, though at first Hikaru's most common complaint was over how much longer it took to walk to Akira's favorite restaurant compared to the ramen stand).  
  
A contented hum startled Akira out of his reverie. Hikaru was fully awake now, propped against his chest and smiling at him. Noticing that his formerly-asleep hand was lazily rubbing Hikaru's back, he stirred slightly in surprise and stopped. At his lover's look of confusion, he asked "What?"  
  
"Why'd you stop? I was enjoying myself." An impish grin appeared as Akira rolled his eyes, blinking in surprise when Hikaru leaned up and kissed him lightly on the nose. "Well, a good morning then, ne? I love Fridays - no classes for you, and a chance to sleep in, right? What time is it anyway?"  
  
Without waiting for an answer, he reached down to the floor to grab the alarm clock (his violent arm swings when he attempted to turn off the insistent ringing had led to the destruction of more than one clock, and Akira had begun placing the alarm on the floor whenever Hikaru stayed over to save himself the trouble of constantly buying a new one). "What the hell, it's only ten a.m.! Why am I awake already? I should still be sound asleep! Touya, are you conspiring to get me to wake up at the ungodly hours that you do? I don't believe this!" Pulling the sheets back up over him, Hikaru resettled himself into the bed, curling a leg between Akira's and placing his head in the crook of the other boy's shoulder, effectively forcing Akira to remain in bed with him.  
  
Swallowing the tiny bit of uncertainty that still arose every time, Akira raised Hikaru's chin and kissed him deeply, smiling as Hikaru hummed in surprise and began responding, pushing back the clump of Akira's long hair that always managed to fall over his eyes when they kissed. Tightening his hold on the other boy, Hikaru placed a series of brief kisses down Akira's jawline, daring a brief lick at the sensitive spot on his neck. The sudden gasp and shudder that followed assured him that it was an excellent move.  
  
Akira's green eyes narrowed, blazing with intensity as they watched Hikaru work his way down his chest and stomach, fingers lightly tracing muscles and the hard lines of bones as they slid past the band of Akira's pajama bottoms, grasping at the other's narrow hips. With the enthusiasm of an excited puppy, Hikaru allowed Akira to pull him up until he was straddling his waist, eagerly surrendering to the barrage of kisses and wandering hands that came with Akira's passion. Just as Hikaru was thinking of taking things a step further, a wicked look passed over his lover's face, causing a flood of thoughts on why Touya had just looked like that, what was likely going to happen, what he could do to respond to Touya's actions, and whether it was a good idea to have worn clothes to bed or not.  
  
Hikaru's anticipation was upset when instead of any of the hundred things that he had been expecting, Akira sat up and pulled his lower half out from under the other boy, rising up to his knees. Of all the things that could have come out of Akira's mouth, the least expected was "How about a game of Go?"  
  
Hikaru's mind went blank as his now-raging hormones paused in confusion, staring at Akira as if he'd grown another head. Akira looked back at him quite calmly, acting as if the actions of a moment ago hadn't happened at all, although the slight tenting at the front of his pajama bottoms said otherwise. "What? Go?"  
  
"Yes, Go. I think I'd like to play right now, if you're interested."  
  
"But... but." The loud teenager that was always lurking right below the surface in Hikaru was livid. "What about the sex, dammit?!"  
  
Akira smiled as he stepped off the bed to pick up the goban and containers of stones that were on the floor in the center of the room, bringing them back over to the bed and shoving the sheets and comforter back so that there was enough room for everything. "I like a challenge, and I can't think of anything much more difficult than trying to concentrate on a game of Go while you're sitting next to me in bed with hardly any clothes on, Shindou."  
  
Hikaru sputtered in shock as Akira placed a set of stones beside him, motioning for Hikaru to make himself comfortable. "You're joking, right?" As Akira continued to set up for the game, he paused. "You're not joking."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"You'd rather play Go than have sex. Man, Touya, you are one messed-up guy. Now, I'm not saying that Go isn't great, but geez, your timing is pretty damn lousy." Hikaru snorted as he accepted the stones, removing the lid.  
  
"I didn't say we were playing Go *instead* of having sex. I'm just... making things more interesting."  
  
"Interesting how?"  
  
"Well... say that the winner gets to do whatever they want to the loser."  
  
"'Whatever' meaning... whatever I want to do to you? *Anything*?" Hikaru grinned at the thought.  
  
Akira eyed the other boy, a twinge of suspicion rising at the tone of his lover's voice combined with the positively devilish expression in Hikaru's eyes. "You seem pretty sure you're going to win... Who's to say it won't be whatever *I* want to do to you?"  
  
Hikaru raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Because, Touya, when I want something, I can fight to get it. I became a pro, didn't I? I've even beaten YOU in games... you think I'm not up to the challenge now?" His tone of voice had become slightly dangerous.  
  
"I think you have a one-track mind, Shindou, and I suggest that you direct it over to Go now, otherwise I'm going to be enjoying myself more when I beat you by six moku." Akira didn't look at Hikaru as he said this, concentrating on sifting his hand through the cool stones.  
  
"SIX?! WHAT KIND OF PLAYER DO YOU THINK I AM, TOUYA?!" Hikaru had turned an interesting shade of red as his eyes bulged. Akira imagined that he could almost see the steam coming from his ears. Shindou was always so cute when he got mad. It made Akira feel mildly guilty for baiting him, but then again, maybe not.  
  
"We'll see. Shall we start the fuseki?" Sometimes, it was better to choose your battles with Hikaru.  
  
"WAIT TILL YOU SEE *THIS* GAME, TOUYA!"  
  
---  
  
"I... I resign." Hikaru stared at the board in mild disbelief, but after having spent several minutes reading as far ahead as he possibly could, he had recognized his lack of options.  
  
"Thank you for the game. Well, I was wrong about the moku. If you hadn't been so weak in your moves over here, especially this stone, you might have gained on me." Akira pointed to a spot in the upper left corner.  
  
"Weak? Whatta you mean, weak? I only lost by ONE moku! And if YOU hadn't pulled that dirty trick off, I wouldn't have been distracted! It's YOUR fault that my move there wasn't right! I thought you had more respect for Go, Touya!"  
  
"Excuse me? I was hot. I have every right to remove articles of clothing if I so desire! Besides, I notice YOU seem to be less dressed than you were when we started!"  
  
"Hot, my ass! And-"  
  
"I agree."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said, I agree."  
  
"Agree about what? What are y- Oh. OH. TOUYA!" Akira dodged the pillow that was flying towards his head, grinning wildly. It didn't take much to distract Shindou from one of his tirades.  
  
Gathering the stones into their baskets, Akira took the goban back over to its place on the floor. As he bent over to set it down, he heard Hikaru swallowing loudly from the bed. He blinked and then understood. Very slowly, he stood up again, taking a moment to stretch out. An unconscious moan from Hikaru made him smile to himself. Turning around, he quietly stepped back over to the bed, straightening out the lump of blankets that had piled up at the foot. With one swift movement, he grabbed the sheet that Hikaru had somewhat wrapped around himself, exposing the boy to cooler air of the bedroom. Seeing Hikaru's tiny shiver, Akira adopted an expression of concern.  
  
"You look cold, Shindou. Maybe you need to be warmed up."  
  
Hikaru stared up at Akira, nodding as the other boy reached down for his hands. As Akira brought him to a standing position, he closed his eyes for a brief moment. Akira, of course, took advantage of this.  
  
Grabbing Hikaru around the waist, he exerted most of his strength to lift the other boy up enough to be able to carry him out of the room. Thankfully, Hikaru wasn't very heavy, or else Akira wasn't sure how he would have managed. As the startled boy began to loudly protest, Akira pushed open the door to the connecting bathroom with his foot, setting Hikaru down on the cool tile floor before his yelling could grow any louder.  
  
Akira reached into the shower to turn on the hot water, then stripped Shindou of the last remaining piece of clothing he had on. With a small smile, he held open the shower door for Hikaru, who stepped inside and reached back to pull Akira in with him.  
  
"Aren't you going to claim your prize?"  
  
---  
  
Feedback is appreciated, as this is my first Hikago story, and only my 3rd fanfic. ^_^; It's nice to know what I did right and what I did wrong. ^^;  
  
Notes for the story:  
  
- Both of them are about 19 or 20 in this story.  
  
- In this story, Akira is currently enrolled at Keio University in Tokyo. I'm pretty sure that in canon, he attended Keio Jr. High, and according to Keio's website, "since 1898, Keio has offered a comprehensive educational program that begins with grammar school." The university is a fairly famous private school, which fits in with my ideas on Akira's family and educational background. What does Akira study? I figure that since he's already set as far as a job goes, he'd probably study something he liked. I was thinking about maybe Japanese history, mathematics, or German lit (don't ask me why the last one, lol). ** An anonymous reviewer told me that it's actually KAIO Jr. High in canon. ^_^; Oops. Although, manga/anime writers often play on the names of real places in their work, so I'll just say that I'm going by that assumption. Feel free to mentally change the spelling.  
  
- (In this story) Hikaru attended high school, but he didn't go on to college. He's a pretty poor-to-average student in my mind, but I go on the thought that Touya helped him study sometimes in high school, so he did okay. ^_^;  
  
- Japanese/Go terms you might not know: goban = Go board -- kifu = records of Go games that were played -- moku = territory -- fuseki = opening moves of a game -- okonomiyaki = a sort of Japanese pancake, with all kinds of ingredients 


End file.
